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“Fufu… Here goes♪”
“Huh… Mmm!?”

A sudden movement. Distracted by the blood, I couldn’t react in time.
Iris’s wrist was pressed against my mouth. The moment I tasted the blood that forced its way past my lips, I reflexively swallowed the saliva and blood that had spilled out.
Come to think of it, I haven’t had any blood in a while. Her intentions are a mystery, but if she’s offering it to me, why not? As I thought that—my body suddenly grew hot.

“Ppf…!?”
“There you go, drink some more, and some more.”
“W-wait a minute, you! What are you doing to Arje-san!?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
“Fine? She looks like she’s in pain! Even if Arje-san is a vampire, you can’t just force her like that!”
“It’s okay, it’ll just make her feel a little warm.”

I understand what I’m hearing. Kuzuha-chan protested, and Iris-san denied it—that’s the sequence of events.
But I don’t have the mental bandwidth to focus on them, ponder the meaning of Iris’s words, or even reassure Kuzuha-chan that everything’s okay.
My lips have already been forced apart, and the blood flows effortlessly into me. The hot liquid trickles down, caressing my tongue and throat.
And I, too, cannot resist it. I accept the blood with a natural motion, even sucking on the wound. I let what’s being given to me slide down to the back of my throat.

It’s different from both Felnoute-san’s and Chrome-san’s. Iris-san’s blood is so hot, I worry I might get burned.
In reality, that’s not the case. But it’s hot. So hot, and somehow sticky, that it feels like it’s scorching my mouth, throat, and even my stomach.

“Hmm, make sure to let it soak all the way down to the bottom of your stomach, okay…?”

Hearing those words whispered in my ear, I nodded vigorously. Even without being told, I was already doing it naturally.
I swallowed the blood, hot enough to burn my very thoughts, in big gulps. My body was heating up from the core, to the point where even the maid uniform I was wearing felt like a nuisance.
I had the illusion that the blood I’d swallowed was caressing my entire body from the inside. A sharp, “kyuuu,” sensation squeezed the depths of my stomach—a throbbing that could be interpreted as either pain or an itch.
I want more, and more. Without even thinking, I obeyed that feeling—nothing more than pure desire.

Completely absorbed in my first bloodsucking in a long time—and my first taste of a fellow vampire’s blood—I kept drinking.
Ignoring the fact that Kuzuha-chan was watching me, I slurped the blood noisily, without a care for my manners.

“Chuu, slurp-slurp… Ha, hmmph…!”
“Ahaha, good girl♪”
“Mmm, mmmmm, gulp…”

A slender, soft hand stroked my hair. Even as my body grew hotter and hotter, being stroked like that strangely soothed me.
Only when my mind finally relaxed did I remember how hard it was to breathe. I’d been so absorbed in drinking blood that I’d forgotten to breathe.

“Pah!”

Pulling a red, sticky thread, I released my lips from her skin.
The air I gasped in was cold, roughly brushing against the inside of my flushed body. At that sensation, the pit of my stomach grew hot again. What is this feeling? I don’t mind it, but it gives me a strange thrill.

“Can you hold on just a little longer?”
“H-huh, ah, yeah…?”
“Blood Boost.”
“Auuuugh!?”

Those words, spun with a mischievous smile. The moment they reached my ears, the depths of my body began to boil.
The heat felt like a mixture of numbness and itchiness, racing through my entire body as if stirring up every nerve.
The sanity I’d regained through breathing was instantly scorched away, and everything before my eyes began to flicker. I lost all strength not just in my legs but even in my lower back, and I slumped to the ground.

“Fumyaaah…!?”

Even the sensation of the rough, pebble-strewn ground touching my butt through my skirt pierced my entire body, and a terribly high-pitched voice—one that didn’t feel like my own—escaped from the back of my throat.

……What is, this……?

My whole body reacted even to the mere circulation of my blood. The simple friction of my clothes felt like my entire body was being caressed, and I shivered uncontrollably.
I couldn’t even bring myself to ask aloud what had been done to me. I was afraid that even moving my throat would bring on a numbing sensation so intense it might make me lose consciousness. What is this? What’s happening to me…?

“Arje-san!”

Kuzuha-chan ran over and hugged me.
Her touch made my body flush with heat again, but Kuzuha-chan didn’t notice, and I didn’t have the energy to tell her.
I just felt like a strange sound was about to escape me, and that made me feel incredibly embarrassed. I desperately tried to suppress the shivers rising from deep within my stomach.
Holding me close as I tried to calm myself by taking in the cold night air over and over, Kuzuha-chan glared at Iris-san.

“Please don’t bully Arje-san!”
“Bully… Ah, well, I guess it could look that way. It’s okay, I’m not bullying her.”
“Iris-chan, you’re not explaining things well enough.”
“Nope. Satsuki, maybe wipe your nose first and stop using your recording magic before reprimanding me?”
“W-w-what are you talking about!? Satsuki-chan isn’t doing anything suspicious! This is to record growth!”
“It’s more than suspicious enough. …Well, I guess it’s a perk of the job to be able to tease… I mean, dote on cute girls.”
“H-h-huff…”
“Mm, Arje, are you having trouble breathing? Hang in there a little longer. Once you do, the boost will kick in.”

I didn’t understand the meaning of those words.
To begin with, even though I could hear the three of them talking, I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to focus on it. The only thing I could barely make out was that Kuzuha-chan was making threatening gestures and Iris-san was brushing them off.

I kept pumping air into my body, letting out ragged breaths over and over. I repeated this cycle of exchanging cold and hot air countless times, gradually calming my body and mind.
Every now and then, Kuzuha-chan’s tail would brush against my body, and each time, I felt like I was going to cry out. From her perspective, she’s probably just worried about me and trying to protect me. She surely doesn’t mean any harm, so I decided to endure it without saying anything.

“Haa, ha, hmm… huff.”
“Are you calming down?”
“Yes, sort of…”

Just as I was finally able to speak, Iris-san spoke to me.
My whole body still felt feverish, and even the sight of sweat sliding down my skin made me want to shiver, but I’d calmed down enough to hold a conversation.
My stomach—especially my upper and lower abdomen—was hot, and I could still feel a sensation as if something were caressing me from the inside, but it wasn’t bad enough to keep me from standing. My head was foggy and my thoughts were scattered, but I knew there was something I had to do.

“Mm-hmm. You have such cute eyes. You’ve received my Blood Boost, and it seems you have enough self-control to keep yourself together.”
“Blood… Boost…?”
“It’s the ability to amplify the power of the one I’ve given blood to… Well, never mind that. Look, there’s something right in front of us that needs to be destroyed.”

Iris took my hand and guided me toward it, as if to support me.
Blood was still flowing from her other wrist, blooming into numerous red splatters on her white kimono, but Iris paid it no mind.

It was the complete opposite of how Satsuki-san had forcefully pulled me along. With a gentle, instructive, guiding pull, I didn’t resist.
A soft, warm sensation, like something floating deep within my stomach, spread throughout my entire body. Even though my consciousness was faint, I could clearly feel my mana being refined.
My mouth opened almost instinctively. Just as if I were drifting in a dream, the words floated out softly.

“Restore the Flow.”

Even in my hazy state of consciousness, I could clearly sense the torrent of mana. A healing breeze—far more powerful than any healing magic I’d ever wielded, almost violent in its intensity—swept through the air.
It didn’t stop at dispelling the curse; even the surrounding flowers and plants burst into bloom. Rather than simply healing, it was as if the mountain had been forcibly injected with vitality, causing it to burst into color.
In one corner of the mountain, colorful flowers bloomed so vividly that they clearly defied the season. Moonlight danced across the scene, creating a dazzling spectacle.
The hot spring gushed forth like an inverted waterfall, eventually succumbing to gravity. Satsuki-san deflected the cascading hot water by opening a large Japanese umbrella.

“I’m so glad I brought this extra-large umbrella—just in case something like this happened~♪”
“U-um, Satsuki-san. How on earth are you pulling that out from between your breasts…?”
“Oh, that’s just for show. Actually, I use a storage skill called Blood Box to pull it out and put it away.”
“That’s so confusing!?”
“Let’s just get away from here for now. Come on, Arje. Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes…”

Perhaps because I’d used magic, the heat deep within my body had vanished. I’m pretty sure she called it ‘Blood Boost’—I guess that means its effect has worn off. It wasn’t listed on the initial skill chart Loli Grampa gave me, so I wonder what kind of ability it is.
Even so, I still felt a faint, tingling sensation throughout my body.
To avoid getting caught up in the gushing hot spring water, we all moved away from the spot. My steps were still unsteady, so Kuzuha-chan supported me.

“…Thank you, Arje-san.”

After thanking me in a small voice, Kuzuha-chan smiled as brightly as a blooming flower.
This might be the first time she’s ever smiled at me like that. Thinking that, I leaned my body against Kuzuha-chan. I even forgot to apologize for letting her support me.
Listening to the sound of the hot water gushing over the edge as it was swallowed up by the mountain, I closed my eyes. Somehow, I felt exhausted.
I accepted the fading of my consciousness without resistance. I was certain that even if I couldn’t walk, there was someone there to support me.